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Steel Industry Releases Environmental Product Declarations

The Steel Joist Institute and Steel Deck Institute have jointly released the first industry average EPDs for Steel Joists and Steel Deck manufactured in the United States and Canada. The EPDs quantify the “cradle-to-gate” life cycle environmental impacts of these products and can be used by architects and engineers to document these impacts. The EPDs are based on peer-reviewed life cycle assessments and can assist building designers and owners to achieve the credits required for building certification within LEED and other green building rating programs.

This is the first industry-wide assessment of the life cycle environmental impacts of these commercial building products in North America. The products are used to construct roofs and floors for single-story, low-rise and high-rise buildings. SJI and SDI member companies produce the majority of steel joists and steel deck used in the United States.

“Building owners and designers have long recognized the recyclability of steel building products,” said Bob Paul, managing director of the Steel Deck Institute. “At the end of a building’s service life, the steel joists and deck can be recycled and the material used to construct another building, manufacture an automobile, or become a home appliance.”

Ken Charles, managing director of the Steel Joist Institute, noted: “Today’s architects, engineers and designers should be aware that recycled content is one of many attributes that make steel joists and steel deck environmentally responsible building products. The member companies of SJI and SDI created these documents as tools for design professionals so that they can transparently and easily compare steel with other building materials when considering which material to use for their projects.”

The Open Web Steel Joists EPD can be downloaded free of charge from the Steel Joist Institute website at www.steeljoist.org. The Steel Roof Deck and Steel Floor Deck EPD can be downloaded free of charge from the Steel Deck Institute website at www.sdi.org.